RBA
* Delaware
* Statewide
* September 23, 2005
* DEST0509.23
*Birds mentioned
Cory's Shearwater
Audubon's Shearwater
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
Broad-Winged Hawk
American Golden Plover
American Oystercatcher
American Avocet
Hudsonian Godwit
Willet
Baird's Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-Breasted Sandpiper
Sandwich Tern
Common Nighthawk
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
Trail's Flycatcher
Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Nashville Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-Sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-Throated Blue Warbler
Black-Throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
America Redstart
Black and White Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Ovenbird
Wilson's Warbler
White-Throated Sparrow
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Bobolink
- Transcript
Hotline: Birdline Delaware
Date: September 23, 2005
Number: 302/658-2747
To Report: Armas Hill, 302/529-1876 (VOICE)
302/529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap@wittnet.com)
Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern
New Jersey, Maryland
Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap@wittnet.com)
For Friday, September 23rd this is Birdline Delaware, from the
Delaware Museum of Natural History in Greenville. I'm Andy Ednie,
glad to be with you this week. Armas Hill is away.
There were an unprecedented number of CONNECTICUT WARBLER sightings
last week, from all over the state. Four reports came in, from White
Clay Creek State Park, Brandywine Creek State Park, the Boardwalk
Trail at Prime Hook NWR, and at Milford Neck Wildlife Area off the
Big Stone Beach Rd.
PHILADELPHIA VIREOS have also been quite common, 2 were at the
pumping station at White Clay Creek on Wednesday. Another was down
along the creek at a place known as Grand Junction in Brandywine
Creek State Park on Sunday.
Possibly two CURLEW SANDPIPERS, both in basic plumage, were seen this
week. One was at Bombay Hook, seen at the south end of Bear Swamp.
AMERICAN AVOCET, PECTORAL and STILT SANDPIPER were also seen. The
reeds along the Raymond and Shearness dikes are full of BOBOLINK
still. The refuge is bone dry right now.
Another CURLEW SANDPIPER was seen Tuesday evening at the north pond
of the Logan Tract off the Kitts Hummock Rd. There has been an
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN at the northeast corner of the north pond all
week, but it's unclear of this is the same pelican that was there
last month, or a different bird. A single HUDSONAIN GODWIT was also
at the north pond Tuesday evening.
A SANDWICH TERN was among the terns and gulls loafing at Gordon' s
Pond on Saturday. Gordon's is also bone dry, and full of long-legged
waders: 200 GREAT EGRET, 400 SNOWY EGRET, GREAT BLUE HERON,
TRICOLORED HERON, CATTLE EGRET, GREEN HERON, and GLOSSY IBIS.
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS continue to be seen at the Broadkill Beach
impoundments of Prime hook NWR. AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER and BAIRD'S
SANDPIPER were also seen there.
3 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS and 25 WILLETS were at Slaughter's Beach on
Wednesday.
Some other birds at White Clay Creek this week included the first
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET of the season, some SWAINSON'S THRUSH mixed in
with the numerous WOOD THRUSH, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, YELLOW-BELLIED
FLYCATCHER and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. There was also a small kettle of
BROAD-WINGED HAWKS. BROAD-WINGS are the subject of this week's special feature.
WARBLERS reported at White Clay, besides the CONNECTICUT , include:
TENNESSEE, PARULA, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE,
BLACK-THROATED GREEN, BLACKBURNIAN, BLACK AND WHITE, REDSTART,
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, WORM-EATING, and WILSON'S.
WILSON'S WARBLER was also seen at Brandywine Creek State Park, along
with NASHVILLE, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE,
BLACK-THROATED GREEN, BLACKPOLL, BLACK AND WHITE, REDSTART, and
OVENBIRD. The first WHITE-THROATED SPARROW of the season was found at
the Freshwater Marsh Preserve. Other birds include ROSE-BREASTED
GROSBEAK, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, BROWN THRASHER, "TRAIL'S" FLYCATCHER,
and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.
There were good flights of COMMON NIGHTHAWKS seen this week from
Brandywine hawk watch area. A BARRED OWL was heard calling "Who cooks
for you" down in the valley, from the hawkwatch. Another COMMON
NIGHTHAWK was seen Wednesday morning, flying over Gibralter, at the
corner of Greenhill Ave and the Kennett Pike, right in downtown Wilmington.
Several reports of RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH came from the north
Wilmington area. 3 were in a yard across from McKean High School off
Rt 41, 2 were near Ashland Nature Center, and 1 was at White Clay Creek.
These are not particularly early records. Sometimes, RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCHES will arrive in early August. One year, one RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH spent the entire summer at Earl Potrafke's feeder in Green
Acres, in northern Wilmington.
This does not mean that it will be a good winter finch year, although
it might. Winter finches, like PURPLE FINCH, PINE SISKIN, COMMON
REDPOLL, EVENING GROSBEAK, or RED CROSSBILL do not always show up on
good RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH years. That last big RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH year was 2001, which happened to be a great year for winter
finches. Remember all those RED CROSSBILLS at Cape Henlopen that year?
Probably the greatest year for winter finches was 1969-1970, which
was also a good year for Red-Breasted Nuthatches. 1977 was another
good winter finch year, but there were almost no RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCHES found. 1982 was a good year for RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, but
there were only PURPLE FINCHES in the area. Despite all efforts,
there doesn't seem to be a correlation between invasion years for
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and winter finches. You can get this
information from looking at Christmas Count Data.
Some pelagic data, a fishing boat out in Wilmington Canyon on Sunday,
reported AUDUBON'S and CORY'S SHEARWATER. The observer sent several
pictures, including a nice shot of BRIDLED TERN. Thanks Nick!
A nice kettle of 45 BROAD-WINGS, with several BLACK VULTURES were
seen Thursday over Burrow's Run Nature Preserve at Ashland. This has
bee the week of the big Broad-wing flight at Hawk Mountain.
Which leads into this week's special feature. You can hear the
special feature of 1450 WILM news radio on Wednesday's at 5:55 and
8:55 am and at 6: 55 pm.
Not far from Delaware, north of Reading at the Schuykill - Berks Co
line is a curve in the mountain, along the Kittatinny Ridge. This
geologic anomaly produces one of the greatest places in the world to
watch the fall migration, at a place called Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
Each fall, hawks travel down the ridgeline, following the air
currents that take them to their wintering grounds in Central and
South America. As they pass by Hawk Mountain's North Lookout, the
curve in the ridge produces an updraft, lifting the raptors from eye
level to 3000 feet in the sky, allowing the birds to continue soaring south.
Beginning in September, reaching a peak right now, is the flight of
the BROAD-WINGED HAWK. Broad-wings are small soaring hawks called
buteos, of the northeast woodlands (Broad-wing SFx). In flight, you
can see their banded tail. Some years, weather bottles up the
migration. Then, a northwest wind will push thousands of BROAD-WINGS
down the ridge. A single day record of 20,000 Broad-wings has been
recorded at the mountain.
Later in the season, BROAD-WINGS are replaced by other species:
SHARP-SHINS and COOPER'S HAWKS, OSPREY, HARRIERS, and occasionally
FALCONS like MERLIN and PEREGRINE. As October turns to November, and
the leaves turn and drop, the alpha predators of the far north come
through, GOLDEN EAGLES and NORTHERN GOSHAWK.
Once a place where hawks were slaughtered by the hundreds, Hawk
Mountain is now an international environmental center, teaching the
beneficial gain of birds of prey. Take Rt. 61 from Reading to
Hamburg, continue north and follow the signs to the mountain. Or,
visit their web site at www.Hawkmountain.org.
I'm Andy Ednie, good birding.
Before I go, I' would just like to wish Happy Birthday to the person
that got me started birding, Winston Wayne. Happy 91st Birthday Winston!
Call your bird reports to (302) 792-9591 or email me at
ednieap@wittnet.com. Thank you for calling, good birding.
-end transcript
* Delaware
* Statewide
* September 23, 2005
* DEST0509.23
*Birds mentioned
Cory's Shearwater
Audubon's Shearwater
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
Broad-Winged Hawk
American Golden Plover
American Oystercatcher
American Avocet
Hudsonian Godwit
Willet
Baird's Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-Breasted Sandpiper
Sandwich Tern
Common Nighthawk
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
Trail's Flycatcher
Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
Brown Thrasher
Nashville Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-Sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-Throated Blue Warbler
Black-Throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
America Redstart
Black and White Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Ovenbird
Wilson's Warbler
White-Throated Sparrow
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Bobolink
- Transcript
Hotline: Birdline Delaware
Date: September 23, 2005
Number: 302/658-2747
To Report: Armas Hill, 302/529-1876 (VOICE)
302/529-1085 (FAX)
Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap@wittnet.com)
Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern
New Jersey, Maryland
Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap@wittnet.com)
For Friday, September 23rd this is Birdline Delaware, from the
Delaware Museum of Natural History in Greenville. I'm Andy Ednie,
glad to be with you this week. Armas Hill is away.
There were an unprecedented number of CONNECTICUT WARBLER sightings
last week, from all over the state. Four reports came in, from White
Clay Creek State Park, Brandywine Creek State Park, the Boardwalk
Trail at Prime Hook NWR, and at Milford Neck Wildlife Area off the
Big Stone Beach Rd.
PHILADELPHIA VIREOS have also been quite common, 2 were at the
pumping station at White Clay Creek on Wednesday. Another was down
along the creek at a place known as Grand Junction in Brandywine
Creek State Park on Sunday.
Possibly two CURLEW SANDPIPERS, both in basic plumage, were seen this
week. One was at Bombay Hook, seen at the south end of Bear Swamp.
AMERICAN AVOCET, PECTORAL and STILT SANDPIPER were also seen. The
reeds along the Raymond and Shearness dikes are full of BOBOLINK
still. The refuge is bone dry right now.
Another CURLEW SANDPIPER was seen Tuesday evening at the north pond
of the Logan Tract off the Kitts Hummock Rd. There has been an
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN at the northeast corner of the north pond all
week, but it's unclear of this is the same pelican that was there
last month, or a different bird. A single HUDSONAIN GODWIT was also
at the north pond Tuesday evening.
A SANDWICH TERN was among the terns and gulls loafing at Gordon' s
Pond on Saturday. Gordon's is also bone dry, and full of long-legged
waders: 200 GREAT EGRET, 400 SNOWY EGRET, GREAT BLUE HERON,
TRICOLORED HERON, CATTLE EGRET, GREEN HERON, and GLOSSY IBIS.
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS continue to be seen at the Broadkill Beach
impoundments of Prime hook NWR. AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER and BAIRD'S
SANDPIPER were also seen there.
3 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHERS and 25 WILLETS were at Slaughter's Beach on
Wednesday.
Some other birds at White Clay Creek this week included the first
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET of the season, some SWAINSON'S THRUSH mixed in
with the numerous WOOD THRUSH, ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, YELLOW-BELLIED
FLYCATCHER and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. There was also a small kettle of
BROAD-WINGED HAWKS. BROAD-WINGS are the subject of this week's special feature.
WARBLERS reported at White Clay, besides the CONNECTICUT , include:
TENNESSEE, PARULA, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE,
BLACK-THROATED GREEN, BLACKBURNIAN, BLACK AND WHITE, REDSTART,
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH, WORM-EATING, and WILSON'S.
WILSON'S WARBLER was also seen at Brandywine Creek State Park, along
with NASHVILLE, CHESTNUT-SIDED, MAGNOLIA, BLACK-THROATED BLUE,
BLACK-THROATED GREEN, BLACKPOLL, BLACK AND WHITE, REDSTART, and
OVENBIRD. The first WHITE-THROATED SPARROW of the season was found at
the Freshwater Marsh Preserve. Other birds include ROSE-BREASTED
GROSBEAK, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, BROWN THRASHER, "TRAIL'S" FLYCATCHER,
and YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.
There were good flights of COMMON NIGHTHAWKS seen this week from
Brandywine hawk watch area. A BARRED OWL was heard calling "Who cooks
for you" down in the valley, from the hawkwatch. Another COMMON
NIGHTHAWK was seen Wednesday morning, flying over Gibralter, at the
corner of Greenhill Ave and the Kennett Pike, right in downtown Wilmington.
Several reports of RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH came from the north
Wilmington area. 3 were in a yard across from McKean High School off
Rt 41, 2 were near Ashland Nature Center, and 1 was at White Clay Creek.
These are not particularly early records. Sometimes, RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCHES will arrive in early August. One year, one RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH spent the entire summer at Earl Potrafke's feeder in Green
Acres, in northern Wilmington.
This does not mean that it will be a good winter finch year, although
it might. Winter finches, like PURPLE FINCH, PINE SISKIN, COMMON
REDPOLL, EVENING GROSBEAK, or RED CROSSBILL do not always show up on
good RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH years. That last big RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCH year was 2001, which happened to be a great year for winter
finches. Remember all those RED CROSSBILLS at Cape Henlopen that year?
Probably the greatest year for winter finches was 1969-1970, which
was also a good year for Red-Breasted Nuthatches. 1977 was another
good winter finch year, but there were almost no RED-BREASTED
NUTHATCHES found. 1982 was a good year for RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, but
there were only PURPLE FINCHES in the area. Despite all efforts,
there doesn't seem to be a correlation between invasion years for
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES and winter finches. You can get this
information from looking at Christmas Count Data.
Some pelagic data, a fishing boat out in Wilmington Canyon on Sunday,
reported AUDUBON'S and CORY'S SHEARWATER. The observer sent several
pictures, including a nice shot of BRIDLED TERN. Thanks Nick!
A nice kettle of 45 BROAD-WINGS, with several BLACK VULTURES were
seen Thursday over Burrow's Run Nature Preserve at Ashland. This has
bee the week of the big Broad-wing flight at Hawk Mountain.
Which leads into this week's special feature. You can hear the
special feature of 1450 WILM news radio on Wednesday's at 5:55 and
8:55 am and at 6: 55 pm.
Not far from Delaware, north of Reading at the Schuykill - Berks Co
line is a curve in the mountain, along the Kittatinny Ridge. This
geologic anomaly produces one of the greatest places in the world to
watch the fall migration, at a place called Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
Each fall, hawks travel down the ridgeline, following the air
currents that take them to their wintering grounds in Central and
South America. As they pass by Hawk Mountain's North Lookout, the
curve in the ridge produces an updraft, lifting the raptors from eye
level to 3000 feet in the sky, allowing the birds to continue soaring south.
Beginning in September, reaching a peak right now, is the flight of
the BROAD-WINGED HAWK. Broad-wings are small soaring hawks called
buteos, of the northeast woodlands (Broad-wing SFx). In flight, you
can see their banded tail. Some years, weather bottles up the
migration. Then, a northwest wind will push thousands of BROAD-WINGS
down the ridge. A single day record of 20,000 Broad-wings has been
recorded at the mountain.
Later in the season, BROAD-WINGS are replaced by other species:
SHARP-SHINS and COOPER'S HAWKS, OSPREY, HARRIERS, and occasionally
FALCONS like MERLIN and PEREGRINE. As October turns to November, and
the leaves turn and drop, the alpha predators of the far north come
through, GOLDEN EAGLES and NORTHERN GOSHAWK.
Once a place where hawks were slaughtered by the hundreds, Hawk
Mountain is now an international environmental center, teaching the
beneficial gain of birds of prey. Take Rt. 61 from Reading to
Hamburg, continue north and follow the signs to the mountain. Or,
visit their web site at www.Hawkmountain.org.
I'm Andy Ednie, good birding.
Before I go, I' would just like to wish Happy Birthday to the person
that got me started birding, Winston Wayne. Happy 91st Birthday Winston!
Call your bird reports to (302) 792-9591 or email me at
ednieap@wittnet.com. Thank you for calling, good birding.
-end transcript